Bear Witness to Strength
by bootsontheground
Summary: Emily is strong. Dr. Pierson knows that. He wants to push her to the brink of her strength for the purposes of his experiment. He wants her to experience her life's turmoil again and again. It's up to the team to protect their Emily and guide her through being a child once again. (Emily de-aged. established Hotchniss.)
1. Chapter 1

"She puked a few of them out! Bag those, quick!"

"Hang on, Emily! Hang on!"

The sirens were still blaring and there were so many voices surrounding her. It all felt so yellow. And deep, dark purple. Emily smiled, a giggle escaping from inside her. The sirens were actually kind of soothing. Aaron was hovering over her. He looked so worried, but still so handsome. Emily giggled again. Everything was so warm and nice. She should retire- live this beautiful life more.

Emily closed her eyes. Looking hurt- like staring into the sun. Aaron was yelling. His tie had come out of its clip and was dangling; she could feel it against the tips of her fingers. She had bought him that tie. He looked seriously handsome in that tie.

She fell asleep listening to the sirens.

…


	2. Chapter 2

…

Doctor Aylsworth sighed as she approached the private waiting room. Inside were a group of federal agents- the difficult sort. She braced herself for the badgering and hissing and threats.

"Family of Emily Prentiss?" These types never had much actual family.

"Her family is out of the country at the moment. I'm her supervisor." He flashed his badge needlessly when she hesitated. "We're all she has at the moment."

"Agent Prentiss has been stabilized."

Relief shuddered through each of their bodies. The supervisor actually sat down.

The first to speak was a tall, gangly man. "What about the pills? What were they? Were they the poison or… the one that-?"

"Thanks to the sample that was retrieved from her vomit, we were able to determine quickly that it wasn't the poison he gave some of the other victims. It was the other set of pills- the chemical agent designed to-"

"We know what it was designed to do!" The ex-cop snapped.

The blonde next to him laid a hand on his shoulder. "Emily didn't take all of them, so she's gonna be fine, right?"

Aylsworth swallowed. "Our research scientists were able to determine that of the pills that your killer gave to the victims, there were three pills that would- for lack of a better word- transform into a prepubescent age. Of those three, Emily vomited back only one."

"So, she's a kid again. Just not a prepubescent kid."

"As far as we can tell as of now, we believe Agent Prentiss is now 9 to 11 years of age. We'll know for sure once she wakes up and can tell us herself."

An older gentleman, who had been silent up until then, spoke up. "What about the other pills she spit back up. How do they change what happens to her?"

"Firstly, she also regurgitated a stabilizer pill. This would have kept her at the age she transformed too. Because of this, we are expecting her to gradually get older. There will probably be jumps in age. She might be 11 one day, and then, while she sleeps, the body may transform, and she'll be 14 when she wakes up.

"She also regurgitated the pill that would keep her memories intact along with her body in terms of temporary injury or illness in the victim during adulthood versus that of the age in which they regressed. This means she will not remember being an adult. She will have the memories that she had at this date when she was at that age. And she will also have every injury, bruise, illness, even psychologically she will be as she was then."

The room was silent.

"I know this is a lot to take in-"

"When can we see her?" The older gentleman stood up.

"The regression seems to have taken a toll on her body; it takes a lot of energy to go back two decades. So, she's currently sleeping. We will let you see her once she's woken up and we have been able to do some basic tests to determine whether she is fit to leave the hospital."

"When is that?"

"I expect her to be awake in around two or three hours."

The supervisor rose from his seat to shake her hand. "Thank you for everything, Doctor."

"Our researchers are working on a cure nonstop, Agent. We will cure her, hopefully before she gets too old to fool with whatever tale you all are going to tell her."

"We have to lie to Emily?"

"We don't want her to get freaked out, babygirl."

Doctor Aylsworth turned and left the waiting room. She wasn't going to be getting any sleep tonight.

As soon as the doctor left, the team rose to their feet, jaws clenched and hands shaking with fury and determination.

"JJ, I need you to contact Ambassador Prentiss. Garcia, help JJ get past the red tape. And figure out if there are any other immediate family members to contact. The Ambassador's secretary may be able to help better with that. Reid and Morgan, head to the crime scene. Find anything you think that will be remotely helpful in putting this guy away, getting an antidote, the effects this thing will have on Emily- anything at all. Rossi, I need you to figure out what we're going to tell Emily."

"What about you, Hotch?"

"I'm going to find a judge that'll sign an order for emergency guardianship of Emily Prentiss to be given to the FBI."

Reid frowned. "What about her mother?"

Hotch shook his head. "The Ambassador means well, but she's still in service. She would probably attempt to either take Emily with her back to South Africa, or she'll put her in a research facility here until they find a cure. Either way, it would mean subjecting Emily to her childhood all over again."

JJ already knew of Emily's mutual love-hate relationship with her mother, but it seemed the others hadn't. Reid looked uncomfortable. Derek huffed and walked out with the young man in tow. Garcia looked understandably upset but equally determined. Rossi just sighed and took out a notepad and pen, sitting down to begin his own task.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry, I didn't add an author's note before. This is my first fic. That being said, I am really sorry if I don't update regularly. I want to be steady with this story because I know how frustrating it is when an author doesn't update for like a year or just abandons the story. If I ever- and I hope and pray I don't- have to go on hiatus with this story, I will tell you guys. I won't leave you hanging in uncertainty.

Also, thank you to Hippiechic81 for my first review! I hadn't planned on posting the third chapter so soon, but your 'please' wouldn't leave me until I did! Hope this lives up to your expectations. -boots

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I affiliated with, Criminal Minds. Which is a good thing because I probably would've messed it up.

…

The crime scene was in chaos once they arrived. Rossi and the rest of the team had stayed behind when Hotch had left with Emily in the ambulance. They had stabilized what they could and sealed off the scene before running to the hospital, but now it seemed the lack of information had just spurred the reporters and thrill-seeking onlookers further. They had swarmed the entrance of the house and were only thing keeping them from storming the place by a handful of green unis.

Morgan huffed. "Text Garcia. Tell her to tell Captain Shepard to send reinforcements to the scene; those unis can't handle this on their own."

Reid nodded and tapped away on his phone. "Do you think we'll find an antidote here?"

"I wish, pretty boy. Knowing this guy, he's too smart to keep it here. He probably has it hidden away at another location."

"Morgan." The young doctor stopped and faced his tense partner. "Even if we don't find it, Emily's going to be fine. She'll become her actual age eventually."

Morgan pushed open the door. "That's great and all, Reid, but you and I both know that it's gonna take a long time between ages. The Doc said gradual."

"A few months is worth it though. If Emily is alright at the end, it's worth it."

"Look, I'd just rest a bit better knowing my partner's okay and in her own head. And that I won't have to constantly lie to her about what's going on."

They drifted from room to room silently until Reid began rifling through an old filing cabinet. "Morgan, come look at this."

"What is it, kid?"

Reid zipped through several documents and folders before answering. "I…I think these are- Morgan, this the smoking gun!"

"Be a little more cryptic, please."

"There are folders on each of the victims, filled with photos and ID information and history and- and scientific notes! He _was_ conducting an experiment! These have all his documentations of the results- his hypothesis, analysis, data. This is everything!"

Morgan couldn't help but grin. At least one good thing was coming out of this whole raid; they had more than enough to put this guy in the electric chair.

"He even has dosage calculations and explanations of the different ages that he regressed them to. And why he poisoned some of them! This could be of great help, Morgan! We could get an antidote quicker than I thought!"

Morgan ran out and grabbed an evidence box from the SUV. As he ran back into the room, he paused. Reid looked green. He was reading the same page he had been reading when Morgan had left.

"What's wrong, kid?" Reid never read this slow.

"Emily wasn't a crime of opportunity."

"What?! That's impossible, he couldn't have known Emily would be part of the raid, or where she was gonna be during it!"

"Yeah, but he planned on dosing Emily anyway." He held up the paper he was reading. "This was hidden in a false bottom. It has all of Emily's information in it. She didn't vomit up those pills, Morgan. She vomited, but the pills he gave her had already dissolved by then. He… he purposefully didn't give her those pills. He just threw them in the vomit, so we wouldn't realize what he was actually doing."

"So why didn't he give her the whole dose?"

Reid brushed his hair back. "I don't know. It doesn't make sense."

Morgan stared at the paper. "Unless… unless he wanted-" He ran into the kitchen, stopping before a small stack of paper, each page perfectly laminated. "His manifesto! The victim… uh... Mary-Jane Shay! Right before she died, she said that he said that they were weak. That they could only handle the shortened version of his experiment. That he was waiting for the one strong enough to take it all!" He flipped through the pages as fast as he could, only getting to the fourth page before Reid pushed him aside.

"Here!" Reid shouted. "'Despite being a man of science, I have restrained myself. These women were weak; they could not have handled the burden that is reliving their own horrid lives. They could not have handled having to experience those emotions again. I do not know how they survived their lives the first time. They are surely incapable of surviving all that torment again. They are too weak. But I will find one strong enough for what I have planned. I have faith that God will not let my genius go to waste. He will gift me a woman capable of reliving and taking all of the second chances that are offered- not just one. And once she survives, I will return her to Him, for she is just a vessel made for my genius. I intend to use her to the full extent, as He intended I do.'"

"Oh God!" Morgan began to pace, running shaky hands across his shining bald head. "Hotch better get that guardianship thing signed cuz I am not leaving her alone. This guy is gonna try and kill her before we can get an antidote."

Reid pulled out his phone. "We need to tell Hotch. This might support us with a judge."

Morgan clenched his fists, trying not to let his anger get the best of him. "I won't let him hurt Prentiss. I'll kill him before he does."

…


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I'm back, my lovelies! Enjoy this and tell me how I can make it better, any suggestions you have- my pen is taking requests! -boots

Disclaimer: I'm too busy to own or be affiliated with Criminal Minds.

…

Emily blinked, easing her eyes open. The walls were white, like the embassy infirmary. She rubbed her forehead; she had a bit of a headache but nothing to require a doctor. She didn't remember hurting herself either. She looked around the room. There was no other patient, so Mother definitely knew she was here and had paid for the privacy. But Mother's assistant's assistant wasn't here either. Dorothy would be camped out in bedside chair by now, with a cup of coffee and a stack of paperwork to pass the time with.

Emily pressed the call button, lifting her head as she heard a pitter of indiscernible voices. After a beat, a tall, slightly pregnant nurse wobbled in.

"Hello there, sweetie. I'm Nurse Webber. You can call me Web- everyone else does." As she talked, she bustled around checking her vitals and poking and prodding the girl this way and that.

"Pleased to meet you. My name is Emily Elizabeth Prentiss. Why I am here?"

"Oh, little lady, I'm not the person to answer that. Your friends will be here in a few and they'll give you all the answers you need." She smiled sadly at the girl. "I brought you some food though, Emily." Nurse Webber reached into the cart she had dragged with her and pulled out a plastic cup of vanilla pudding. "The only good hospital food there is. You enjoy this, okay. You'll friends will be here before you can say 'yummy in my tummy'."

Emily watched her wobble away, the cart creaking as it rolled out into the hallway. She poked at the pudding. "Yummy in my tummy." She glanced at the door. "Liar." A huff. "I don't any friends have." Sighing, she lifted a spoon of the room temperature pudding to her lips and resisted the urge to lick off just a bit. Mother would be upset if anyone saw her eating like a wild child. And if anyone heard her bad grammar. "Have any friends. Not any friends have. Do not be an idiot."

"Ms. Prentiss!" This time it was a redheaded doctor that opened the door. She had large bags under her eyes, but she was grinning widely. "I'm so glad to see you're awake! I'm Doctor Aylsworth- I'm gonna be your doctor." She went directly to the foot of her bed and began flipping through the clipboard, probably looking at all the things Nurse Webber had written.

"Are you the friend Nurse Webber said about?"

"Oh no, they're on their way, honey."

"May I ask why I am here?"

The doctor paused. "You collapsed a few hours ago. We suspect it was an attempted poisoning. Fortunately the dosage was poor and the poison pretty basic, so you'll be just fine. You may not remember much so don't panic about that, it's perfectly normal to have some memory loss. I may ask you to come back for some tests maybe in a few days, maybe in a week or so."

"Where is Dorothy?"

"Dorothy?"

"Mother sends her to look after me when she cannot." Technically, Mother sends Mr. Hetherington, and he sends Dorothy, but it's the thought that counts.

'Well, Dorothy isn't here. Some other people are. They will take care of you, okay?"

No, it wasn't okay. "Okay. When will they arrive here?"

"Any moment now, Ms. Prentiss. They'll be here before you can say 'lickity split'."

Waiting until the doctor began checking her under her gown, Emily whispered as quietly as she could. "Lickity split." The door stayed closed. The young girl rolled her eyes, lifting her arm at the doctor's request. "Stupid phrase."

"Emily."

"Yes, ma'am?"

"You have some bruises here on your ribs and calves. And these cuts on the tops of your hands and wrists…I need to know how you got them."

"Some of the other girls and I were playing around. We made an obstacle course."

Doctor Aylsworth pursed her lips. Usually she would call the police, report a case of child abuse, and make sure the parents stayed away before the uniforms could get here. But this was an unusual case. "Are you telling me the truth? If someone hurt you, I will make sure you're safe, Emily."

The little girl shook her head politely. "No, thank you. I'm fine."

"Alright, then." She hoped the agent's colleagues would be able to get through to the girl better. She still didn't know how she passed her Child Welfare Procedure and Detection class. "I do still have some questions I need to ask. Are you ready?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"How old are you?"

"Ten years old."

"How are you feeling right now? Any aches, pains, queasiness?"

"No." Her head still hurt a little, but Daddy said complainers never got anywhere good.

"What do you remember last, sweetie?"

Emily shifted in the bed, giving the door another glance. "The last thing I remember is studying for my Polish exam in the embassy library."

"You're learning Polish?"

"Of course. Mother thinks it is a good idea as she is from Poland."

"What about your father, where's he from?"

"Massachusetts."

"And where are you from than, Emily?"

"I am American." The words were said dismissively enough that Aylsworth could tell the girl was growing tired of this line of questioning.

"Okay, then let me check some things. Can you sit up for me?... Bend your arm like this?... Okay, now wiggle those fingers… Can you take the deepest breathe you can?... Does it hurt over here? What about here?... Okay let that breathe out now. Good… Okay, now I have a couple more. Can you see the boat in the picture right there..."

…


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hi. I'm not really that proud of this chapter and I kept going over it but it's just not getting any better. Thanks for reading anyway.

Also, right now the rating is staying a T. I'm not sure if I'll need to make it an M. I'm also not sure if I'm going to be needing a trigger warning either. I'm not sure about a lot of things, considering I am still planning this story out. I will adjust and add warnings if needed in future chapter. -boots

Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds.

…

"Emily's awake." Dr. Aylsworth said, raising her hands to block Garcia, Hotch, and JJ from blindly running to wherever they thought Emily was. "I would prefer if I could tell everyone at once, so I can address all of your questions before everyone goes in to see her."

Hotch nodded, quickly motioning to Garcia to send out texts to the rest of the team to hurry up. "They're on their way." Barely ten minutes later, the entire team had arrived and were eagerly awaiting the doctor's words.

"Emily seems to be alert and aware. She was told she had some friends coming, so she has been asking for you. Very polite young lady if I may say so myself. She's ten years old. The last thing she remembers is studying for her Polish exam in the library. She did ask why she was here, I told her someone had attempted to poison her but that it was weak and therefore she would be just fine, except for some memory loss and maybe I would ask her back for a few tests later." Dr Aylsworth paused, raising her clipboard. "Regarding her overall health, I am concerned about some bruises that half appeared on her calves and ankles, and some cuts across the backs of her hands that extend onto the wrists and upper arms. I asked her about them, but she simply said that her and some other kids made an obstacle course and that's where she injured herself."

"And you don't believe her?" JJ asked.

"I'm inclined not to. Usually, when I ask a kid what happened, and nothing did, they explain but they explain with details like the names of their friends, how much it hurt, how mad they were, what their mom said about it. But when Emily explained about the obstacle course, that was that. I might be wrong, but I have a duty as a physician to report possible cases of child abuse- even if the perpetrator may not be abusing her anymore."

Morgan closed his eyes. "Emily… Emily never said anything about-'

"Are you sure?" Reid asked, forlorn. "Could it have just been an accident?"

The red-headed doctor sighed. "I'm not sure, Dr. Reid. I just want to cover all my bases. This is an unusual situation for everyone but if something did happen… with Agent Prentiss being a child again…"

"We understand." Hotch said, thanking the woman. "We'll try to find out if anything happened." He clenched his fists and then released them, pushing the urge to hit something deep into the depths of his muscle. Emily needed him to be calm, collected, and stoic SSA Unit Chief Hotchner, and he wasn't about to let her down.

"For now, I suggest you keep an eye on her at all times. Especially when anyone who knew her at the age of ten is around."

"Of course."

"What about the Ambassador?" Morgan asked. "They don't really get along well."

JJ shook her head. "The Ambassador and Emily may not have the best of relationships, but she would never hit Emily."

Hotch needed to change the subject desperately. "Dave, did you come up with anything?"

"The Ambassador had a political emergency and left her in the care of the FBI for her own safety because of the dangers of the situation- dangers that may involve a crazy man on the loose that's trying to kill her."

"That'll work perfectly." Hotch said. "It's very believable, and halfway true. Dr. Pierson is still in the wind. If she knows there is a danger to her life, she'll be easier to protect. JJ, did the Ambassador say anything?"

The blonde rubbed at her eyes. "She said to tell Emily that she would visit soon. And she said that she would make some calls about some research doctors that she knows will be able to help."

"When did she say she would come?"

"You know the Ambassador; she wasn't very definite."

Garcia gasped. "What about Gumdrop's dad? Does he even know what's happened?"

Spencer frowned. "Emily's never mentioned him… ever."

JJ sighed. "She did mention him at a girls' night once; she was drunk, so I let it go."

"What'd she say?" Derek asked, ignoring Rossi's glare. The older profiler didn't think any of them would like it if the positions were switched and the prodding into their lives being done to them.

"She said that he was strict. That she tried smoking his cigars as a teenager, but she couldn't stand the taste of them so she smoked cigarettes instead."

"So they weren't close? Cuz Emily would've said something if they were close." Morgan said.

Rossi clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Let's just go see Emily. She's what matters right now."

Morgan nodded, his frustration quelled momentarily by the desire to protect his vulnerable partner. "We're taking her back to the hotel, right?"

"I called Strauss; she approved our transfer to a family suite."

"Good job, JJ. That'll make it easier to keep an eye on her." Hotch said.

A short, broad shouldered nurse approached them. "Miss Prentiss is ready to be released. All you have to do is sign these papers."

Doctor Aylsworth nodded to the nurse. "Thanks, Dillan."

Hotch nodded and signed the paper. "Thank you for everything, Doctor." He didn't stay long enough to hear her reply, eagerly thrusting the papers back into her hands and rushing after the rest of the team to see to the state of his regressed subordinate. Times like these made him wish the team knew about their relationship.

…

A/N: I will post the next chapter soon because this one was pathetic and I know it.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: __As promised, another chapter to make up for the previous one. -boots

Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds.

…

"Hello. My name is Emily Elizabeth Prentiss. I assume you're the friends Nurse Webber was speaking of."

The team stood frozen in front of the hospital bed. Emily's features were softer, countenance more unsure and yielding than they were used to, but the solid, clear cut voice that came out of her was no doubt from their friend. When JJ saw that no one was responding, and the young girl was still there, sitting up in her hospital bed and waiting for an answer, she moved to stand by her side.

"Yes, Emily, that's us." JJ said.

"Mother sent you, of course?"

"Yes."

"Please don't take offense, but may I see your credentials, along with those of your team?" Emily asked politely. She sounded as if she was repeating someone else's words from memory, and given her mother's position, she probably was.

JJ fought away a smile at the adorable professionalism. "Of course." The request jolted the rest of the team out of their slack-jawed states and they fumbled to display their badges to the young girl.

Morgan handed her his badge first. "SSA Derek Morgan. You can call me Morgan or Derek, whatever you prefer."

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Morgan. If you don't mind me asking, what does SSA stand for?"

"Supervisory Special Agent." He smiled at her familiar inquisitiveness.

Surprisingly, Spencer made his move next. "I'm Dr. Spencer Reid. You can call me whatever you would like too."

"A doctor in the FBI? That's quite a career change for someone so young." She said, her speech so adult-like that the team found themselves instantly amused and considerably more at ease than a few moments ago.

"Actually, I have doctorates of academia, not medicine."

"Doctorat_es_?" Emily said, clearly impressed. "Wow. You must be really smart- like a genius! Dorothy says I'm a genius too."

"Throughout history many have tried to quantify intelligence, and it has been done relatively successfully but definitely not with a hundred percent accuracy. It is recognized that different types of intelligences do exist. On the question of my intelligence, the intelligence quotient seems to be the-"

"Reid, take a breath." Hotch ordered.

Garcia took this chance to approach Emily from the other side of the bed. "Hello, little Gumdrop! I am the All-knowing Oracle of Knowledge, Penelope Garcia. Anything you need, you come to me." A look from Hotch forced her to contain the urge to hug the young Prentiss and squeeze her cheeks until they were bright red.

"I'm this team's Media Liaison, Jennifer Jareau. You can call me JJ." Emily looked up at JJ respectfully and nodded. The blonde wondered what was going on in her bestfriend's head. She was too quiet, too polite. She had attended enough political galas with her bestfriend to know the difference between Emily and Ms. Prentiss. But that was adult Emily she knew. Ten year old Emily wouldn't have such a clear splittage of roles; her roles were going to be much more similar than JJ was used to.

"Pleased to meet you, Ms. JJ."

"Just JJ is fine."

A brief look of panic fluttered across Emily's face. But as quickly as it came, it was quelled. "Okay… JJ."

Rossi shuffled over to Emily. "Agent David Rossi. Call me Dave, cara."

The little bit of Italian seemed to spark something in Emily and she sat even straighter- if it were possible- and let a bright smile cover her face. "Tu parli italiano!" She said. [_You speak Italian!_]

Dave gently smiled, unable to remain stoic in front of the little girl's excitement. "Sì, proprio come te." [_Yes, just like you._]

Hotch noticed Rossi wavering and stepped forward. "I'm Agent Hotchner; you can call me Hotch if you'd like. Emily, we think there's a really bad man after you. I don't want you to be scared, but I don't want you to get hurt either. Because that's what he wants to do- he wants you to be scared and he wants to hurt you. Your mother is dealing with an emergency in Washington. So she asked us to keep you safe for her. That's why you're going to be staying with us for a while. Is that okay, Emily?"

The team watched as Emily's face soured for a second before she grit her teeth and replied. "Yes, Mr. Hotch."

"We signed the discharge papers, so all you have to do is get ready and we can go." JJ picked up a bag from where she had dropped it on the floor. "I didn't know your exact size so pick whatever fits you best and I can return the rest later."

Emily hesitantly took the bag. "Is Dorothy not here yet?"

"Dorothy?"

"Yes." Emily said. "Mother usually sends her with my things when I have to go away."

The profilers cringed at the word choice. They bit their tongues to avoid comforting the girl and telling her she wasn't being sent away, in fact the opposite- she was being kept and protected by her family.

"Dorothy had a death in the family, so she sent your things by mail. Unfortunately, they got lost."

Emily frowned. "The United States Postal Service has been consistently ranked as the best postal service in the world. I've concluded we are state-side for the emergency my mother needs to deal with, so how did USPS lose _all _of my things?"

JJ turned to Hotch. She never knew that young Emily was so similar to Reid.

"USPS didn't lose them, a couple of new agents lost them during transportation."

"Are they in trouble?" Emily said quietly.

"Yes, of course."

Emily's mature demeanor wavered, and she looked imploringly at Hotch. "Don't be too harsh, I'm sure they didn't mean to do it. I mean I lose my things all the time so none of it is really that important anyway." She had learned quickly not to get attached to things, having dealt with worse moving companies and postal services; the embassies weren't too careful when they knew it was a child's things they were transporting and not important documents and gifts.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure the harshest they get is a reprimand." Hotch consoled her.

Emily nodded, gratefully. "Thank you. Besides, Mother will send new things once she hears."

The team glanced at each other.

"Emily," JJ began, "your mother may be slightly busy for a while, so I think its best we not bother her until we have to." Guilt rose in her stomach when she saw tears rise in the child's eyes.

"Okay." Emily said quietly. Mother had promised her her promotion from Ambassador of Benin to Ambassador of Iran wasn't going to change anything. That if she needed her she'd be there. Emily had really thought Mother meant it this time.

…


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I hope this is okay. **TRIGGER WARNING** for non-explicit reference to domestic spousal and child abuse.

I know I updated this literally yesterday but enjoy the speedy update. Warning: this means you're going to have to wait a little longer (probably) for the next chapter. Sorry, not sorry cuz I'm impatient and lazy. -boots

Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds. As you can see, it would be a crap-fest if I did.

…

The hotel was nicer than the Bureau usually allowed, but that was expected given the Ambassador's pull. Thankfully, the mostly open lay-out allowed for easier security. It seemed to the team that maybe the Ambassador wasn't going to be a pain in the ass during the ordeal, unlike most other high-status individuals they had worked with before.

"There are only four beds, so we should probably divide up now." JJ pointed out.

Hotch glanced at Emily who stood awkwardly between Morgan and Penelope. "Miss. Prentiss, would you like to pick out your bed first?"

The rest of the team glanced confusedly at the sudden formality but understood when they saw the youngster relax slightly. Emily wasn't used to being referred to so informally by her bodyguards.

"Thank you, Agent Hotch." She smiled politely and pointed at the bed by the window, in the corner of the room. "May I stay there?"

"Of course, Miss Prentiss. Now as soon as everything has been secured and we're all settled in, you can help JJ order everyone some food and then while we wait we can look at getting you some things for your stay."

Emily nodded. "That would be fine, Agent Hotch." With that she ran to the bed, and in the first childlike thing she had done for the entire ordeal, she jumped quite gloriously onto the bed, plopping onto her face.

JJ grinned and shouted "dibbs" as she gave a running jump onto the double bed next to Emily's. Rossi rolled his eyes and gave Hotch a look.

Hotch sighed. "Morgan, you okay with taking the couch?"

Morgan nodded, before shouting "cowabunga" and jumping on the spot right next to JJ, physics bouncing her off the bed.

Hotch continued as JJ quietly pummeled Derek with her pillow. "Garcia, you can share with JJ. Reid, you can share with me. Rossi, you're on your own."

"Amen." The older man mumbled.

"Okay, Morgan come with me. We'll do a perimeter sweep. Reid, JJ, and Rossi scan the inside of the hotel for anything suspicious or anything that could lead to a breech. Garcia could you stay with Emily and set up whatever gear you think is necessary."

* * *

Emily stared at the ceiling, emitting the occasional "uh-huh" into Garcia's one-way conversation. The hotel room was very open, kind of like the team. No privacy whatsoever. Which was reasonable given they were trying to protect her. But it was still odd and uncomfortable, and Ms. Garcia kept touching her. Even though she had seen their badges, something still felt off. Maybe she should try calling Mother. No; JJ said not to. She said Mother was busy. But did Mother specifically tell that to JJ or was JJ assuming that Mother wouldn't want to talk to her? Garcia touched her arm again. She scowled but the older woman didn't noticed.

Emily sat up in the bed. "I think I'll look around." She pronounced.

"Okay, little M&M. Don't go too far, though."

Emily smirked as the analyst's eyes stayed glued on her screen. She walked over to the bathroom, loudly sighing and then loudly- but respectfully- closing the bathroom door. She paused for a few moments and then peeked out; Garcia was still sitting on the bed, back to the door, tippy tapping ferociously on the keyboard. She quietly and quickly slipped out of the hotel room, softly closing the door behind her.

Emily the Spy had successfully completed the first half of her mission. She sighed. This was so much more fun when there was someone else to play with. But like Dad said: the more the players, the more the risk. She smirked; Emily the Spook had no desire to fail her mission. She was the greatest agent alive.

"Hey, don't hate the player, pretty boy- hate the game."

The enemies voices were getting closer, moving in from the right. This was a precarious situation. Plan A has been dropped. Time for plan B. Emily ran down the left side of the hall, turning the corner just in time. "Tuna-nuna-nuna-na-na tuna-nuna-nuna tuna-nuna-naaa." Emily sang under her breath, flying down the halls and ducking into a janitor's closet at the sound of voices.

"Emily! Where are you? We've got lunch." The enemy was trying to bait her back into their lair.

Her stomach growled.

"We've got Chinese food!"

Emily rolled her eyes. She had had Chinese food before, when some important Chinese businessman and his wife had dinner at Dad's fancy condo in Singapore. Emily hated it. She had had a tonsillectomy two days before and Mother had warned Dad that she wouldn't be able to take the sharp tastes and solid foods that were on the menu, but he had put his foot down and made her eat every bite that he put on her plate. She spent the entire night in pain, and the entire following day in the ER. It could've been worse, had Mother not snuck ibuprofen onto her plate through the kitchen staff. But Emily couldn't stand the cuisine ever since.

"Come on, Princess! We also got chocolate caaaake!"

Chocolate cake. Emily's stomach let out a groan. Chocolate was for special occasions only. But they didn't know that. And it wasn't like Mother would randomly warn them not to give her chocolate; that was Dorothy's job.

"I don't think Prentiss is here, pretty boy. Are you sure the doorman didn't see her leave?" There was some mumbling and Emily pressed her ear against the crack, straining to hear.

This time Dr. Reid spoke. "It's alright, Morgan. We'll find her after lunch. I can't wait to eat all of that chocolate cake. I mean, it's not like she'll really want it. Emily's probably not that hungry anyway."

Emily's innards growled viciously. No way they were going to leave her here. Alone. What sort of bodyguards were they? No, this was just a trick. Emily- the Spy, the Spook, the greatest agent alive- wasn't going to fall for some plain bribery. She was a Prentiss and a Reginald Claymoore. These agents would never dare leave her behind.

Heavy steps began to stomp away from her. Clomp. Clomp. A pause. Hope? Another clomp. Emily scrambled to her feet and wretched open the door.

"Don't leave me!" She ran after them, terror gripping her so hard that her feet tripped over each other and she face-planted onto the stiff carpet.

"Emily!" Rough, but kind hands pulled her to her feet, wiping at the traitorous tears that were drenching her face. It was Dave, Reid and Morgan behind him, worry painted over their faces. "Are you okay?"

Emily nodded. A lump clogging her throat.

"What happened?"

Emily glanced at Reid and Morgan. She looked at her feet.

Rossi looked back at his two colleagues. "Emily, would you come back to the room with me? Eat something?"

Emily nodded, a grim look of acceptance on her face.

Rossi glared at the two adults as they passed them. "A little birdie told me you were fond of chocolate, so I thought, why not have some while you stay with us?"

Emily nervously smiled back at him. He was so nice. If Mother found out he gave her chocolate, he'd be in so much trouble.

"Do you have a favorite chocolate?"

"Milk chocolate- Hershey's."

"I prefer dark chocolate. So dark you can barely take it."

Emily made a face. Rossi chuckled, knowing how that would change once she grew into the agent he knew. Adult Emily adored dark chocolate.

Rossi opened the door for her, beckoning her in, but she stopped before she entered. "Is everything alright, dear?"

A sigh. "You should know, I'm not really allowed chocolate outside of a special occasion."

"Well getting out of the hospital should count, right?"

"Count as what?"

"A special occasion, of course."

Emily grinned. "Of course."

* * *

Despite her new-found friendship with Rossi, Emily seemed uncomfortable around the team. When food was served, she went and sat in the spot between her bed and the window, staring out the glass while picking at her plate. The team, unused to a quiet and morose Emily, sat gathered around the coffee table planning how to approach the isolated girl.

"She's probably homesick." JJ suggested.

"But she doesn't really have one stable home, I mean how can she be homesick for something nonexistent." Morgan said, waving a fork of lo mien in the air.

Rossi frowned at that. "Just because she doesn't have a traditional definition of home, Derek, doesn't mean she doesn't have one. She's outside of her routine, with no one her age around. It's has to be upsetting for a little kid."

Morgan sighed. Rossi was right, but what could they do to make their little team member feel better. He blinked. "What if we take her to the park? I mean it's not like there'll be a lot of adults there, outside of the parents. And each parent's guard will be up anyway in case of strangers. We've got the doc's photo so if he tries to get close we can protect her. I mean she can't stay cooped up in her forever."

JJ nodded. "I agree with Morgan, I mean she's a little kid. She needs to interact with kids her own age."

Hotch shook his head. "There's too much risk in taking her out in the open. Strauss and the Ambassador would never okay that." He glanced at the regressed version of his girlfriend. "But, I could maybe bring Jack over to play with her tomorrow. He is only a couple months younger than her right now."

"That would be awesome, Hotch." JJ said. "I'll get the cake, if everyone's finished." She gathered everyone's trash before walking over to Emily, eyes on the girl's full plate. "Emily."

"Yes, JJ."

"You haven't eaten."

Silence. Dark eyes stared at her, body braced for her next move.

JJ picked up the plate. "Is it the food? Do you want something else?"

Emily remained silent. What was she supposed to say? What was the right answer?

"Here. Eat this at the least. I don't want you to eat just sugar for dinner." She handed her one of Henry's sandwiches that she kept in her purse.

Emily popped open the sandwich shaped Tupperware. It was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. She gaped. "Thank you, JJ." She said instinctively, her focus entirely on the sandwich. She sniffed the bread. It smelt magnificent. "It's just like on TV." She said, delightedly looking up at the blonde. She bit into it. "Wow! It tastes amazing!" She made a face. "Kind of sticky though!"

JJ laughed at that. "Yeah, that's the peanut butter."

"Mother says we are what we eat." She took another bite, chewing thoroughly before she spoke. "I wouldn't mind being an PB&J!"

"Me either, pumpkin." JJ leaned back against the bed, content to watch the young girl happily consume her first PB&J sandwich. Behind them, the team was pretending not to eavesdrop while keeping their ears cocked and ready.

Emily had finished most of the sandwich when she paused and set it back in the Wonder Bread box. She brushed her hands on the outsides of her thighs, teeth nipping her lips as swallowed her last bite. "JJ?"

JJ straightened, the seriousness in the child's voice catching her off guard. "Yes?"

"I would like to speak with my mother now."

"Emily-"

"Please."

"She's busy right now, but I'm sure if I ask her assistant he'll be able to tell me when." She stalled.

"She's not busy." The girl looked close to tears. "Mother said I could talk to her whenever I wanted. She wouldn't lie. She promised."

JJ's heart broke at the sight of Emily sniffling and fighting back tears. She was just a scared little girl who wanted her mother. JJ looked back at the team. Hotch hadn't explicitly said not to contact the Ambassador again. And if Emily just happened to be next to her and insisted on taking the phone… JJ sighed.

"JJ?"

The young mother smiled at the little Prentiss and pulled out her phone. Tapping on the right number, she handed it to her miniature bestfriend. "Here."

Emily eagerly took the phone, fumbling as she pressed it to her ear.

First ring. Second ring. Third ring. Fourth ring. Fifth ri-

"This is the Ambassador's office."

Emily paused. When did Mother get a new secretary? "This is Emily Prentiss. The Ambassador's daughter. I'd like to speak with her."

"Please hold, Miss Prentiss."

Emily smiled as Mother's favorite Chopin piece floated through the phone. "He's her favorite composer." She told JJ. "She says his pieces soothe instead of reviling the dead."

"Reviving, dear." The voice on the phone corrected. The Ambassador sounded resigned, as if she had been expecting Emily to bypass everyone and call her.

"_Mãe!_ [Mom]" Emily shouted excitedly. "See, JJ, I told you she would pick up."

"Bragging is unbecoming-"

"'-for a lady.' I know, _Mãe_. And I'm sorry, but I really wanted to talk to you."

The Ambassador was quiet for a moment. "Because I said you could call whenever you wanted." She said, remembering her promise from years decades ago. The older woman pressed her eyes shut, bending over in her seat to press her forehead to the edge of her desk. "How are you doing, _filhinha _[little daughter]?"

The team watched as Emily relaxed, leaning against the wall and smiling like any other little girl. She began to chatter and laugh as she told her mother about the hospital and the nurse and the doctor and the PB&J she had just eaten and the hotel room and how she had played spies. She was so excited that she had fumbled and accidently pressed the speaker phone icon.

"I thought her and the Ambassador didn't get along?" JJ queried, having left Emily's nook to give her some privacy.

"Same." Morgan shrugged. "At least, the Ambassador's being nice and all with her now."

"Their relationship was probably a lot different when she was little."

Reid frowned. "I didn't know Emily was Portuguese."

This turned the heads of the team.

"Emily isn't Portuguese, pretty boy."

"Well, she's speaking Portuguese with her mother right now. And with a very convincing fluency. Although Prentiss is an English name, I wonder how that came about?"

Hotch fought away a smile. He had been the only one who knew this little tidbit about Prentiss. She had confessed after he caught her singing in Portuguese, because she knew that he knew her mother had never been stationed there.

"_Mãe, eu tenho uma pergunta_. [Mom, I have a question]" The team watched as Emily turned slightly away from them, clutching the phone with both hands.

"What is it, Emily?"

"Did Dad poison me?"

Silence. Elizabeth Prentiss straightened in her chair, gripping the arm rests with white knuckles. "No."

"Okay."

"Why do you… ask?"

"I just thought he did because he was so mad at me for telling the judge that I wanted to stay with you." She said matter-of-factly.

Penelope sniffled. Morgan turned away, anger and tears excusing him to the small kitchenette. The rest of the team just sat, frozen in their seats.

The Ambassador's breathing, rough and uneven, could be heard through the phone. "I… I'm so sorry, sweetheart."

Emily stared at the phone, confused and shocked to her mother apologizing to her.

"I should've been a better mother to you. I wasn't there for you._ minha filhinha_ [my little daughter]." Elizabeth swallowed. The regrets and the grief that she had carried over the years were breaking out of their boxes. "I'm sorry I haven't been around much lately. I want you to know that none of this is your fault. Your Dad is going through some things, but that… that doesn't excuse his behavior towards…," she sobbed, "towards either of us. You deserve better, Emily. And I'm sorry that I've been distant. This emergency can wait. I'm coming over." This was the second chance she had wished for.

Emily, hearing her mother cry, had begun to cry too. "_Mãe _what's wrong? Why are you crying? Why are you saying all this? I don't understand!" JJ and Garcia ran over, comforting the young girl. JJ wiped the girl's tears and Penelope folded her into her arms.

"Let it out, Gumdrop. It's okay. It's okay. Your momma's on her way."

"Everything's okay, Emily." The Ambassador apologized. "I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry. I'll have my assistant book a flight right now.'

Emily laughed weakly through her tears. "Don't be silly, you don't need a flight, you're in Washington."

JJ swallowed. She glanced at Hotch.

Fortunately, the Ambassador was a better fibber than them. "Washington State_. _Not DC."

"Oh." Emily hiccupped. "_Mãe_, I… I'm not mad at you."

Elizabeth sighed. "I know you aren't." At least not at this age; no, the anger came a few years later.

"And you don't have to be sorry. It's okay."

"No, Emily. It isn't okay. I let you down, my pretty girl. And for that I am so…" The Ambassador's voice shook. "I am so, so sorry. He was a monster, your father. And I never should have let him hurt you."

Emily still seemed rattled by the sudden emotional outburst by her usually stoic mother, so JJ took hold of the phone. After ending the call, she turned to the little girl. "Are you okay?"

Emily seemed to think for a moment before sighing. "I think I would like some chocolate cake now."

Garcia grinned. "Ditto, gumdrop."

* * *

Heyyyyy. Congrats to those who got the 'tuna-nuna-nuna-na-na tuna-nuna-nuna tuna-nuna-naaa' reference. To those who didn't, it's from that scene in Castle when Beckett tells him to stay in the car and he scoots into the driver's seat and starts pretending to be a cop with a theme song. Haha I love that show.


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